Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13Review

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Par for the course. Haha, get it? That's a golf joke.

By Mitch Dyer

In hindsight, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 lacked any real punch. The Masters tournament on Augusta National was a big deal because it was overdue -- more "it's about time" than "what a surprising new feature!"

Blame Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 for this perception. Revered competition on an iconic 18-hole course doesn't even compare to this year's fundamental gutting of the series' most important mechanic: the swing. As deeply troubled as Tiger 13 is, EA Tiburon's strong improvements to the swing of a club will change the way at-home golfers play Tiger from here on out.

Exit Theatre Mode

Total Swing Control is far and away the most meaningful addition to the PGA Tour series since it joined this generation of consoles. Left stick movement dictates 100% of how a shot behaves. Pre-set shot types and shot meters don't exist anymore. Every subtle gesture during a swing affects where the ball goes, so the how and why of each shot falls square on the player's shoulders.

In past years, accounting for the lean of the green and smacking the ball as hard as instructed guaranteed a perfect putt. Tiger Woods 13 demands much more on the green, fairway, or tee. A handy white arc around the golfer indicates the ideal backswing form. Pulling straight down on the stick puts the player's club along that track. Simple enough, but this is where things get complicated.

Numerous control factors within the backswing change the trajectory of each shot. Holding the backswing too long or not long enough means under/overswinging. Pulling it slightly left or right leads to wider or tighter arcs which dictate the direction of the ball. When a golfer follows through, the speed of their swing, as controlled by jamming the stick forward, contributes to the overall effect of the backswing and the distance a ball will travel.

Yes, it's as complicated as it sounds, and no, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 does not do a good job of explaining how to use it.

Red means Tiger's swinging outside the lines. See him? He's wide.

There are no guides to tell players the correct way to play anymore. Tiger 13 encourages improvisation through experimentation, so players truly earn it when they nail a shot. On the other hand, a backswing lacking confidence could send the ball trailing off into the trees, or throw it into the water. However a shot shakes out, the responsibility is always in the hands of whoever made it happen. Total Swing Control always leads to one of two things: Extreme self-satisfaction, or unrestrained self-loathing.

The text explanation in the menus isn't clear, and the absence of any explicit instructions makes the learning process a pain. It's unfair of EA to overhaul the entire swing system in this way and leave its audience in trial-and-error agony.

The closest thing to a tutorial is the Tiger Legacy Challenge, a series of increasingly difficult events from Tiger Woods' life. Legacy begins with a two-year-old Tiger learning to golf with his dad in their backyard, progressing through tournaments as an adolescent, and winning world championships during adulthood. There's a strange structure here, though. Failing to complete tedious tasks leads to lots of restarting.

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Total Swing Control always leads to one of two things: Extreme self-satisfaction, or unrestrained self-loathing.

Chipping balls into Mrs. Woods' handbag demands precision, and Tiger 13 doesn't explain what players may be doing wrong if they miss the tiny target. Rather than help those learning an unfamiliar system, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 stays silent while its audience teaches itself. Maybe it's inconsiderate design. Maybe it's a metaphor for Tiger's intense training with his obsessive mentor and father.

Either way, it's no fun to retry the same shot dozens of times with nothing to show for it, so the tedium of Tiger Legacy is equal parts fruitless and frustrating. In terms of great new features, the Tiger Legacy Challenge should have been one of the coolest in the franchise. The dozens of mundane tasks fail to capitalize on their greatest opportunity: to make players appreciate an incredible athlete's accomplishments, inspirations, and milestones. Instead, it wastes itself on a punitive, pointless chore checklist. It certainly reflects the countless days a world-class athlete spends preparing for a life of championships, but must the player experience these events in seeming real-time?

Really, the standard career mode is where Tiger 13 is at its best. Character progression is directly proportionate to the player's understanding of Total Swing Control. The journey emphasizes the value of growing from amateur to pro, especially when placing high in the first Masters tournament a couple hours in. As usual, XP unlocks new clothes, clubs, and other stat-boosting and cosmetic accessories. What keeps golfers coming back, aside from the always excellent core golf, is Coins and Pins.

Equipping pins before each hole gives golfers temporary attribute enhancements, such as better accuracy, an XP multiplier, or more shot previews. Pins work on a use-it-and-lose-it system, which maintains balance. They're used for getting an occasional edge, not for exploit. However, Coins can refill used pins, or buy new ones. Spending Coins on Pins means less money for new golfers and courses, though.

Coins unlock slowly in the context of item price, which is where EA aims to lure players toward its downloadable add-on content. The publisher learned from Tiger Woods 12 that locking courses behind a pay-to-play gate was a mistake, so Tiger 13 tries to meet the audience in the middle. Coins earn players access to new courses, so playing Tiger Woods 13 as normal rewards players with extra content without having to spend real-world money. Even better, completing challenges unlocks courses permanently.

This is the pitch, anyway. The reality is that EA's new system is a disgusting, well-disguised sham that makes past DLC traps look like charity.

Baby Tiger is a freaky-looking little dude.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 restricts access to 20 of its 36 courses. Players can rent one round on a locked course for 6000 Coins, the earnings of about 10 rounds at 18 holes, each of which takes about 20 minutes. For those who can't spend the inordinate amount of time required to borrow one round of golf, EA presents the option to pay for Coins. Rather than selling the audience iconic places like Banff Springs, it's made it more expensive than ever – and it's temporary.

Completing "Gold Mastery" tasks is the only way to open a course forever. [Ed note: As of press time, courses were not available for purchase. Upon release, courses became available a la carte for various Microsoft Points prices and in selected bundles.] The challenges are not only extremely difficult and time consuming -- sinking five Eagles, hitting the green in regulation 80 times, etc. -- but must be completed on each course players hope to own. Tiger 13 golfers need to trade dozens of their hours and/or dollars to access a course indefinitely.

EA is well within its right to restrict access to as much optional content as it pleases, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 features an exploitative add-on system which displays complete contempt for its audience.

Target beneath the ball before swinging to dig it out.

Online Country Clubs are the best way to soften the blow of the DLC structure and make the most of the Tiger 13 economy. The more people who join a Club, the more they contribute to its rank and status, and the more days in a row its members play, the more Coins everyone makes. This cyclical system is absolutely for the Tiger faithful, and hardcore players should can maximize their gain.

For Xbox 360 players, Kinect integration is exactly the kind of hokey gimmick most expected it would be. Once past the simple fun of swinging an invisible club, it becomes clear the contrived implementation isn't as elegant as is ideal. Character animations lag behind and stutter, shattering any illusion. Also, backswings rarely register properly, but Kinect's controls are streamlined in such a way that shots seem to always launch at full power. Consequently, the backswing animation stutters and jumps around. Taking this into account with the awkward interface, Kinect just isn't a worthwhile option, even in a party setting. Everyone would just get sad.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He really likes Banff Springs. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

The Verdict

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 knows what makes it great, and the Total Swing System is an authentic, excellent improvement. The meaningful new controls enable players to feel great about their skill while holding them accountable for their faults. Beyond that, Tiger 13 struggles to succeed. Its most substantial new mode, Tiger Legacy Challenge, is a dull waste, and making the most of the in-game economy is difficult without hardcore dedication to an online Country Club.